1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wireless communication, and more specifically, to a system and method of managing wireless vehicular communication using a group manager.
2. Description of the Related Art
Intelligent navigation involves the delivery of information to a vehicle operator. The information may have a safety content, or a commercial content. Various types of safety information are useful, such as a warning regarding a collision with another vehicle. Similarly, various types of commercial information are useful, such as high speed tolling, maps, road conditions, the location of retail establishments, entertainment media and other types of infotainment. The information is communicated to the vehicle operator in a variety of ways, such as a display device or a screen integral with the instrument panel, or through an auditory output device.
One feature of an intelligent navigation system is the integration of a global positioning system (GPS) with the vehicle to automatically determine the location of the vehicle. The GPS may be a handheld device or integral with the vehicle. The global positioning system includes a signal transmitter, a signal receiver, and a signal processor. The GPS, as is known in the art, utilizes the concept of time-of-arrival ranging to determine position. The global positioning system includes a signal receiver in communication with a space satellite transmitting a ranging signal. The position of the signal receiver can be determined by measuring the time it takes for a signal transmitted by the satellite at a known location to reach the signal receiver in an unknown location. By measuring the propagation time of signals transmitted from multiple satellites at known locations, the position of the signal receiver can be determined. NAVSTAR GPS is an example of a GPS that provides worldwide three-dimensional position and velocity information to users with a receiving device from twenty-four satellites circling the earth twice a day.
In order to facilitate wireless vehicular communication, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated 75 MHz of the wireless spectrum in the 5.9 GHz range for Dedicated Short Range Communication Services (DSRC). At the same time, the FCC has mandated that safety communications have priority over non-safety communications. The DSRC band plan includes seven channels, each encompassing 10 MHz. One of the seven channels is identified as a control channel used for establishing communication links between vehicles and roadside access points, and links connecting one vehicle to another vehicle. The other six channels are service channels, for providing infotainment information.
The safety channel has a data latency, such as 100 ms, which is generally more stringent than the latency period of a non-safety channel. A desirable feature of such a system is that the information transmitted by one channel not interfere with other communications on another channel. Thus, there is a need in the art for a wireless vehicular communications protocol that utilizes a dedicated group coordinating access point to organize the access points into groups to facilitate communication between vehicles service access points.